Wild Rose

Wild Rose Sweater by Marie Wallin

What is Being Made

Wild Rose is an advanced knitting pattern for a women's pullover sweater designed by Marie Wallin from the Wild Wood collection. This garment is available in five sizes ranging from Small (to fit bust 81-86 cm / 32-34 in) through XXL (to fit bust 122-127 cm / 48-50 in), making it suitable for a wide range of body measurements. The sweater features a sophisticated color work design inspired by natural themes, with carefully coordinated yarn colors creating visual interest across the finished piece.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs stranded colorwork knitting as its primary technique, requiring knitters to work with multiple yarn colors simultaneously to create the patterned design. The sweater begins with single color ribbing at the lower edge, which provides elasticity and a neat finished edge. The body is worked in patterned stockinette stitch, a fundamental knitting technique that creates a smooth, V-textured fabric. The advanced difficulty rating reflects the complexity of managing multiple colors throughout the piece while maintaining consistent tension and stitch quality.

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch (K): The primary stitch forming the base fabric in stockinette stitch sections
• Purl stitch (P): Used in combination with knit stitches to create the textured ribbed cuffs and edges
• Single color rib: An alternating knit and purl pattern (K1, P1 repeat) that creates vertical columns of texture for stretch and recovery
• Patterned stockinette stitch: Stockinette stitch worked with color changes to create the Wild Rose design motif

Materials and Specifications

Wild Rose is designed to be worked in 4-ply yarn weight, a lightweight yet durable yarn that produces a refined fabric suitable for intricate colorwork. The pattern requires British Breeds yarn in twelve carefully selected colors: Mulberry, Russet, Mallard, Rose, Lime Flower, Raw, Woad, Eau de Nil, Chestnut, Wood, Dark Apple, and Quince. Yarn quantities vary by size, ranging from 25 grams of single colors to 70.5 grams for the largest size, with total yardage requirements increasing proportionally across the size range.

Two needle sizes are required: 2¾mm (US 2) needles for the ribbed cuff sections and 3¼mm (US 3) needles for the main patterned body. The pattern specifies a tension of 28 stitches and 29 rows to 10 centimeters measured over patterned stockinette stitch using the 3¼mm needles, making accurate gauge crucial for achieving the intended finished measurements. The back panel width ranges from 46 to 70.5 centimeters depending on size selection.